Why do we lose interest in an activity after we are rewarded for it?

The Overjustification Effect

, explained.
Bias

What is the Overjustification Effect?

The overjustification effect describes our tendency to become less intrinsically motivated to partake in an activity that we used to enjoy when offered an external incentive such as money or a reward.

a graph titled "The Overjustification Effect" on an orange background. The graph shows a line labeled "Intrinsic Motivation" that initially fluctuates and then sharply declines after a point marked "Reward." This illustrates how introducing external rewards can decrease intrinsic motivation over time.

Where this bias occurs

The overjustification effect occurs for any activity that we find intrinsically valuable. These are activities that we do because we enjoy them, rather than because we use the activity as a means to an end that we find rewarding.

For example, imagine that you have always loved painting because you find the activity calming. You start giving out paintings to friends and family as gifts, and a number of them suggest that you start selling them on Etsy. Thinking it might not be such a bad idea to make extra money, especially for an activity you love, you set up a page on Etsy and decide to charge people $20 for a painting. A while after you start painting to fulfill orders, painting no longer feels enjoyable. It feels like a chore.

Due to being offered money for an activity you love, you have lost the intrinsic motivation to paint. Intrinsic motivation is the motivation to do something without any obvious external rewards.1 Your intrinsic motivation to paint has been replaced with extrinsic motivation, which is motivation caused by an external reward, such as money.2 However, replacing your intrinsic motivation for money has actually caused you to feel less motivated to paint. Even if you stopped selling your paintings, it is unlikely that your intrinsic motivation would return, because you now attribute any enjoyment you derived from painting to the fact that you were being paid. This is known as the overjustification effect.

Sources

  1. Santos-Longhurst, A. (2019, February 11). Intrinsic motivation theory: Overview, factors, and examples. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation
  2. Morin, A. (2020, June 28). How does extrinsic motivation influence behavior? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-extrinsic-motivation-2795164
  3. McQueen, P. (2014, June 10). Depression – Motivation and the secrets to getting things done – Part 1 – Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Thrive Wellness Toowoomba. https://www.thrivewellness.com.au/motivation-part-1/
  4. Psychology. (2016, January 21). Overjustification effect. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/control/overjustification-effect/
  5. Cherry, K. (2020, May 13). Why does the Overjustification effect reduce intrinsic motivation? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-overjustification-effect-2795386#citation-1
  6. Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18(1), 105-115. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030644
  7. Murayama, K. (2018, June). The science of motivation. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2018/06/motivation
  8. Explorable. (n.d.). Overjustification effect and the felt tip marker study. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://explorable.com/overjustification-effect
  9. Peterson, S. P. (2010). Examining the overjustification effect as a form of incentive contrast (Order No. 1482912). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (815239122). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/815239122?accountid=14656
  10. Eisenberger, R., Mitchell, M., McDermitt, M., & Masterson, F. A. (1984). Accuracy versus speed in the generalized effort of learning-disabled children. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42(1), 19-36. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1984.42-19

About the Authors

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Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

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Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

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